Re: Cost of Meds to NHS

[Guest guest]

That is crazy - Well that sort of proves why they are so reluctant to prescribe

them even though many people are struggling!!

What is it to the Chemist what they cost - she's getting paid by the NHS so why

would she be worried. I have no doubt that our local chemist would supply them

- if you like I can ask & if you fax the script to him I can post them to you.

At least try another chemist - what about Boots?

Can't believe it's such a battle for people to get treatment - maybe someone on

this site would like to change jobs & train as an Endocrinologist & change the

tide :-)

Take care,

Dorothy

[Guest guest]

Was thinking & think it would be a good idea to write to the Chemist & challenge

her & get her to reply to you. I really don't think she can refuse to supply

your medication. I used to be a nurse & I can assure you, there is dreadful

waste within the health service. Packs opened to use 1 item & then the rest

thrown out etc. The reason they didn't want to diagnose people in the past is

because they then got All their prescriptions free once diagnosed as underactive

although at the minute everyone is getting their prescriptions free anyway but I

can't see that continuing. Personally I would prefer to buy the meds & have

optimal health but you shouldn't have to.

Dorothy

[Guest guest]

Hi

I've just been prescibed 10mcg daily of Liothyronine (T3) as they've identified

that I have a low serum bound iodine level.

I was shocked reading your message as to how much this costs and after searching

online I found this:

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/liothyronine-sodium-tablet-20mcg_4_15116.html

No wonder my Endo has been reluctant to try me on this and leave me on

Levothyroxine which was doing little more than suppress my TSH and giving false

blood results !

Neil

[Guest guest]

The doctor prescribes liothyronine for me (which presumably is the synthetic T3) and probably much much cheaper. I cannot imagine my surgery prescribing anything that costs that much, when one of the doctors took £30 off me for signing a form and then scribbled all over the form making it invalid (because he didn't believe in it), but would not let me have my £30 back because he said he was entitled to it because he DID sign it.

He said that if he signed a form for insurance for me and they didn't accept me it was not his fault. But I was too dumfounded to say that in this case it was his fault because he would not have scribbled all over the insurance form like he had with that one.

I even mentioned it to the PCT who completely ignored it.

Here's me going off on a tangent. But if a doctor is prepared to blatantly rob his patient, what is he going to be like using NHS money for his patients.

Didn't I hear something about the Government trying to crack down on pharmaceutical companies who charge excessively for their products. I know many years ago the Government of the day told doctors they must prescribe generic in preference to named drugs.

T3 is given with Thyroxine so the cost of the thyroxine should be added to the T3 and then compared to Armour because Armour contains both. But they will presumably compare the cost of lyothyronine rather than the Goldshield.

Lilian

Cost of Meds to NHS

HI everyone,I went to collect a prescription of T3 yesterday and the chemist called me in to discuss my meds. She says I am the only person that the shop supplies T3 to, and the chemist says I'm only the second person she's ever met on T3..... to which I replied that there must be many people who are undertreated :)Anyway, she said that because of the cost they will no longer hold them in stock for me, so it will be a real fath to get them. The cost to the NHS per 2 drums of 28 tablets (20 mcg - goldshield) is £107.00 !!!!! Whaaat??? I can buy 300 for 50 quid in mexico..So.... this has got me thinking..... Does anyone know how much armour is to the NHS? If it's cheaper than T3 then it might be a good argument for getting the doc to prescribe......How do I find this out? x------------------------------------TPA is not medically qualified. Consult with a qualified medical practitioner before changing medication.

[Guest guest]

Hi Neil,

Yep, the link you sent is £2.15 PER TABLET... so slightly more expensive than

the £107 my chemist is being charged for 56 tablets....

Why is the NHS only allowed to supply one brand? Why can't then buy in from

abroad?

>

> Hi

>

> I was shocked reading your message as to how much this costs and after

searching online I found this:

>

> http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/liothyronine-sodium-tablet-20mcg_4_15116.html

>

[Guest guest]

Lilian,

My prescription reads Liothyronine 20 mcg... it just happens that the one I am

given is the Goldshield one, I don't think there is another brand supplied in

this country - not even a generic.

Do your tablets come in a sealed plastic tub with 28 per tub? these are the

goldshield ones. Years ago when I first got them prescribed they used to be

measured out by the chemist, but they don't do this any more... Mind they

used to measure out the T4, but then it changed to those silly expensive blister

packs.

The price of a months worth of T3 at 20 mcg per day then, is £53.50 and the

price of a months worth of T4 at 50 mcg is £0.48 making a total of £53.98.

If I buy a months worth of NT at 3 grains a day, it costs me £17.50 per month..

How do I find out how much the NHS pay for NT?

x

>

> The doctor prescribes liothyronine for me (which presumably is the synthetic

T3) and probably much much cheaper.

[Guest guest]

Hi Dorothy,

The chemist is willing to supply them ok, but will not hold them in stock.

It means every time I want any I have to go to the docs, order a prescription,

go back and collect it 2 days later, take it to the chemist, wait whilst they

order it in, collect it two days later.... It's a good deal easier to just

order my own stocks on line and get them delivered to my house.

>

> Was thinking & think it would be a good idea to write to the Chemist &

challenge her & get her to reply to you.

[Guest guest]

Lilian,

I do get them free, but the NHS are being charged a stupid amount for them.

This is why more of us cannot get them without a real fight.

>

> I cannot understand why they should be charging people that amount with an NHS

prescription. If people are hypothyroid and have an NHS prescription it is

free.

>

> They can charge what they like for a private prescription, which does not

necessarily reflect that actual cost of the product. They can add as much

profit as they like on a private prescription.

>

> Lilian

> http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/liothyronine-sodium-tablet-20mcg_4_15116.html

>

> No wonder my Endo has been reluctant to try me on this and leave me on

Levothyroxine which was doing little more than suppress my TSH and giving false

blood results !

>

> Neil

>

[Guest guest]

HI ALL

Its not only T3, how many have had problems obtaining gdales allergy free

meds. My GP said at one time he would prescribe anything I wanted to try, but

what a BIG JOKE,as last time I saw him he said that they were not availabe on

NHS and if I need T3 I will probably find the same thing said.

My general feeling is that the medical profession has a dislike of THYROID

PATIENTS.

The one thing I shall refuse to have even if again I am persued with frights of

cancer is a hysterectomy. Not only is there a risk of infection and in turn

damage to ones kidneys, but there are treatments available today without

resorting to a hysterectomy.

My former GP also said that cancer cells can come and go, so now they are trying

to get rid of each little cell and the treatment involved can be worse.

My Mother and Mother-in-law both went downhill after hysterectomy.

Kathleen

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I use Boots who have an arrangement with my local Surgery. Boots request the

prescription when I'm due to run out and the Surgery faxes it through to them. I

get C0-Q10 on prescription which aren't kept in stock so by having this

arrangement and leaving a couple of days for the order to arrive, it means I

don't have to go through all that palaver.

It might be worth asking your chemist if they operate something similar?

Best wishes - Sue

[Guest guest]

Meant to say that I got mine at my local Boots.

When I presented the prescription I asked them to check they could dispense it

straight away, or I could check with any of the other 3 pharmacies we have in

the Main Street.

It's worth phoning around your local pharmacies to check availability, assuming

of course you have a choice !

Neil

[Guest guest]

>The price of a months worth of T3 at 20 mcg per day then, is £53.50 >and the

price of a months worth of T4 at 50 mcg is £0.48 making a >total of £53.98.

I honestly think that most local pharmacies do not supply to many patients. It

takes me all week to sort out my meds. Put in the prescription, wait a couple of

days, go to the pharmacy. Then they order it in as they don't stock it, then go

back. Another pharmacy may have one pot of T3, but I would still have to go back

later in the week for the rest. I have not had any pharmacists try and refuse

the prescription, just a pallava of going back.

I always think that the NHS must be supplying similar priced or more expensive

tablets for other reasons. There is something very deep, where GPs, consultants,

lab biochemists and pharmacists, just don't expect you to need T3. They would

rather keep us on T4, blame the patient " Give it more time " etc rather than

consider if it is working.

I have no way of knowing about costs of Armour to the NHS because prescribing

un-licensed meds isn't something that my GP would do.

Fiona.

[Guest guest]

The way it works is that pharmacies buy and pay for their medicines from their

wholesaler, the one they have entered into a contract with. Different chains of

pharmacies use different wholesalers. When they dispense the medicine to the

patient, the NHS re-imburses the pharmacy a fixed sum from a published price

list (for common drugs) plus some add-on charges to cover the pharmacist's cost

of providing the service.

This is why some pharmacies won't dispense a branded drug if it's not specified

on the prescription because they won't get re-imbursed for the higher cost of

the branded drug. They only get the fixed cost specified by the Prescription

Pricing Authority. It's also why patients get a different generic each time they

renew because the pharmacy will take the cheapest make that the wholesaler

offers.

This link takes you to the page where you can open a Word document that lists

the type of charges the pharmacist gets re-imbursed for over and above the drug

cost:

http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/PrescriptionServices/2130.aspx

This link is to the current drug tariff published by the PPA:

http://www.ppa.org.uk/edt/March_2011/mindex.htm

You can search by drug name and find the price the pharmacist gets for the drug,

to which are added the additional charges.

>

Do pharmacies HAVE to purchase certain drugs from particular

> manufacturers or can they buy from where they want?

>

[Guest guest]

When I went to Boots on one occasion, they asked me how I managed over christmas

when they couldn't get any Armour from their suppliers, I told her that my

sister had bought some Erfa from an internet pharmacie (Int. Pharmacy, I think)

she wanted a link to it as they can buy from any reputable source.

She wrote down the name and said she'd contact them!!

Glynis

> Is there a possibility - she asks cynically - that the NHS are buying the T3

> from the most expensive source available in an attempt to use this argument

[Guest guest]

.. I get C0-Q10 on prescription

>

> It might be worth asking your chemist if they operate something similar?

>

> Best wishes - Sue

>

Hi Sue, how did you get your co-q10 on a prescription? Love janet

[Guest guest]

Hi I can see T3 costs more than the Armour I would cost £40 a week . However

this is cheap at the price considering the dozen or so meds a lot of people

would require if not taking it. .

[Guest guest]

Not necessarily. Most government departments seem very poor at getting good

value for money when it comes to purchasing. The MOD is forever in the news for

wasting money. Everyone I know who has ever worked in the NHS comments, without

any prompting, about the appalling wastage. I get the feeling that when a

private company sees that a contract is coming from a government body they

decide to rip them off. Maybe Civil Servants are too naive or not hard headed

enough to drive a good bargain?

Miriam

> Is there a possibility - she asks cynically - that the NHS are buying the T3

from the most expensive source available in an attempt to use this argument to

stop T3 from being prescribed at all - as doctors and pharmacists are looking to

save as much money as possible.

[Guest guest]

Yes, me too, because I went to see a private doctor and they wrote to my GP

asking whether they would prescribe it for me.

Miriam

> . I get C0-Q10 on prescription

> >

> Hi Sue, how did you get your co-q10 on a prescription? Love janet

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Janet,

I was diagnosed with CFS in June 08 and in search of some answers I paid for a

mitochondrial function test to be done. This showed a deficiency in C0-Q10

amongst other things. My GP took the doctor's interpretation on board and

prescribed everything I needed which could be obtained on the NHS.

Best Wishes,

Sue

>

> Hi Sue, how did you get your co-q10 on a prescription? Love janet

>

[Guest guest]

Does your clinic not fax the prescription direct to the chemist of your choice?

- if you ask them to I'm sure they will. Also, can you not just order the tabs

well before you need them so you don't run out?

Take care,

Dorothy

[Guest guest]

Hi all -I don't think cost has anything to do with reluctance to perscribe T3 .

It would however help if it did not cost so much. Am I correct in thinking there

is only one source in the UK and no competition . It is out of patent and anyway

the patent as far as I know was in the US {CYTOMEL] -so why the rediculous price

and what about competition . Why also this small dose of 20 and not 25 as

elsewhere. If this Government really wants to cut the cost of drugs to he NHs it

really needs to question what is going on . .

[Guest guest]

Hi, Thanks for answering, I don't think I would qualify as I have been taking it

for a couple of years now so won't be deficient! love janet

> >

> > Hi Sue, how did you get your co-q10 on a prescription? Love janet

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi , im taking T3 only and buy these from mymexicandrugstore

These are 25mg in 100s i buy six for approx £80 . I have been taking these

for nearly 2 years as i could no longer tollerate Thyroxine after a pesticide

exposure . Having a battle with GP to prescribe , he flatly refuses and wont

give a reason , I have recently seen Endo at Walton who says i must come off T3

and go back on Thyroxine ??? I have rang the hospital to tell them how ill i am

after taking thyroxine for 2 weeks ( white lie ) and await a reply for advice

what to do ( may take forever ) Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

n thyroid treatment , " Galathea " <galathea@...> wrote:

>

> HI everyone,

>

> I went to collect a prescription of T3 yesterday and the chemist called me in

to discuss my meds. She says I am the only person that the shop supplies T3

to, and the chemist says I'm only the second person she's ever met on T3..... to

which I replied that there must be many people who are undertreated

>

Moderated to remove old message

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I am on 20mcg Liothyronine and 125mcg Levothyroxine. I use a chemist that have

an agreement to pick up my prescription and order in what I need. I then just

drop in and pick it up. They get me to tick what I want on the next repeat

ready for next time. So far it has worked really well.

Just out of interest, when i picked up my last prescription, there was a sticker

on it saying NHS Levy £14.40. I know that the chemist also get some sort of fee

for managing my prescription, so don't know what the real cost of the tablets

is.

Thanks

a

> Anyway, she said that because of the cost they will no longer hold them in

stock for me, so it will be a real fath to get them. The cost to the NHS

per 2 drums of 28 tablets (20 mcg - goldshield) is £107.00 !!!!! Whaaat???

I can buy 300 for 50 quid in mexico..

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, I get T3 with a NHS script and privately- the private script has T3 at £ 33 for 28, so your chemist is obviously getting them gold plated! -Goldshield's liothyronine sodium- this is from Boots.

Cost of Meds to NHS

HI everyone,I went to collect a prescription of T3 yesterday and the chemist called me in to discuss my meds. She says I am the only person that the shop supplies T3 to, and the chemist says I'm only the second person she's ever met on T3..... to which I replied that there must be many people who are undertreated :)Anyway, she said that because of the cost they will no longer hold them in stock for me, so it will be a real fath to get them. The cost to the NHS per 2 drums of 28 tablets (20 mcg - goldshield) is £107.00 !!!!! Whaaat??? I can buy 300 for 50 quid in mexico..So.... this has got me thinking..... Does anyone know how much armour is to the NHS? If it's cheaper than T3 then it might be a good argument for getting the doc to prescribe......How do I find this out? x------------------------------------TPA is not medically qualified. Consult with a qualified medical practitioner before changing medication.